- Queensland Lions sit 2nd in the NPL Queensland with one of the best scoring records in the division.
- Since 2020, Queensland Lions have won 9 of their 14 head-to-head matches against Sunshine Coast Wanderers in all competitions.
Lions are on the loose and looking for more
Queensland Lions are a formidable force in this part of the world and have been in fine form during the 2026 campaign. Darren Sime's team play organised, pro-active, possession-based football, using overloads in the wide areas to create space and chances. The Lions press high and wide and have enough in their squad to play this style of football for 90 minutes.
The Sunshine Coast Wanderers will look to frustrate the Lions by sitting deep and making it a numbers game. Paul Arnison typically sets up his team to defend compact and counter with pace. The Wanderers will have their own goalscoring threats in this cup game, as midfielders Kade McDougall and Cameron Salmon will do their best to link up play and supply the likes of Connor Simpson and Matthew Nezval, who can both score multi-goal hauls on their day.
The Lions will not be overly concerned by the challenge posed by Sunshine Coast Wanderers, even though they are mid-table in the Queensland Premier League 1 division and competitive in their section. The Lions have scored plenty of goals and conceded very few in 13 games, whereas Wanderers have been hot and cold in the league and cup, winning 8-0 at St George Willawong in the last round.
Lions have the right to be odds-on for the win
Queensland Lions are 1.18 favourites to progress to the FFA Cup Round of 32 and take one step closer to the national Round of 32. The Lions are a much better team on paper, in their current league position, form and H2H record, and Ballinger Park will provide little comfort to the hosts on Saturday. Any rain could make the game a bit scrappy and perhaps suit the Wanderers, who may fancy themselves to get men behind the Lions' defence and get a few chances to score on the break, but we don't think Arnison's side can hold out for a full 90 minutes. Our recommendation is to go with the bookmakers and take the Lions to win and the match to feature Over 2.5 goals at 1.15. Lions' striker Alex Fiechtner has scored double-digit goals in 2026 and will be a constant threat in the box, while Mitchell Flinn Hore's creativity from deep and Rahmat Akbari's threat on the transition will be hard for the home side to deal with.